Killing Pheasants: King Charles ‘livid’ as royal tradition faces axe
To quote a breathless report in ‘Hello!’, the lightweight glossy for the many people who like to peek from the sidelines at the wealthy, “King Charles is reportedly ‘devastated’ following news that a key royal family tradition could soon be scrapped.” What might that ‘key’ tradition be? Distributing alms? Thanking those around him for ensuring […]
The Crown Prosecution Service and the Holderness Hunt: Dropped Charges, unanswered questions
A Fox Killed. A Hunt Unchallenged. A Law That Failed. On New Year’s Eve, 2019, a group of local volunteers came together with one purpose: to monitor the Holderness Hunt in the East Riding Of Yorkshire. What they witnessed that day was devastating — a brutal killing that exposed the sham of “trail hunting” and […]
Bloodbusiness.info – 1000+ listings!
Despite both the ‘hunting season’ and the ‘blasting birds out of the air season’ being over for the first half of 2025, we have continued to keep building our bloodbusiness.info database. Designed to give us all information about where and which public-facing businesses are connected to hunting with dogs and/or shooting birds or mammals, bloodbusiness […]
Planning bill petition
Scrap the Planning and Infrastructure Bill 8818 people have taken action so far. Help us reach 10000 First name Last name Email Phone Subject Letter Dear Angela Rayner MP and Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, I am writing to express my deep concern over the Planning and Infrastructure (PI) Bill recently introduced by your government. If […]
Two Hen Harriers ‘missing’ from RSPB’s Geltsdale Reserve
The RSPB has reported this week that two male Hen Harriers have suddenly ‘disappeared’ from their nest sites at Geltsdale in Northern England. The birds vanished within a few days of each other. Another Geltsdale male Hen Harrier was found shot dead on neighbouring land in spring 2023. A Red-listed species in the UK due […]
Enough is Enough: The Hunting Act is Failing—It’s Time to Demand Real Change
Trail hunting is a lie. The Hunting Act is failing. It’s time to hold hunts—and the government—to account. Tell your MP enough is enough. Protect the Wild has received powerful footage that confirms what we’ve all known for far too long: the Hunting Act 2004 is not fit for purpose. The lie of “trail hunting” […]
RSPCA draws attention to attacks on wildlife with catapults, but is media outrage selective?
There has been a significant increase in the number of reported attacks on wildlife with catapults, says the RSPCA. A petition to ban the sale of catapults and ammunition and the carrying of catapults in public places has gathered over 22.5k signatures. Protect the Wild condemns the wanton killing of wildlife with catapults and other […]
RSPB: ‘Relief’ brood meddling ends, but still pushing licencing
The RSPB – the nation’s largest and most influential bird charity of course – has released a statement on the news that Natural England has decided not to approve a new licence for ‘brood meddling’, a conservation sham sanctioned by Defra (the government department which sanctioned the iniquities of the equally sham ‘badger cull’). Brood […]
We’ve launched a new tool to end hunting for good
Hunts continue to terrorise wildlife and pets, endanger people, and trample the law with impunity. Despite the Hunting Act 2004 being in place for over 20 years, it is not fit for purpose when it comes to protecting British wildlife, companion animals, or local communities. It is a law riddled with loopholes that hunts exploit […]
Protect the Wild Launches HuntHavoc.info: Exposing Hunt Carnage
Protect the Wild has launched a powerful new website: HuntHavoc.info — created for one clear purpose: to expose the law-breaking, the chaos, and the carnage hunts are causing across Britain — and to help the public take action. For too long, the brutal reality of hunting has been hidden behind a mask of tradition and […]
Lame response from Quantock Hills authority to concerns about stag hunting
The team that manages the Quantock Hills recently revealed in responses to emails what it does to ensure staghound packs stay within the law when they are hunting in the famed National Landscape. Protect the Wild has seen this explanation, which was underwhelming to say the least and which has been variously described by supporters […]
Labour’s new planning bill “will lead to permanent biodiversity loss”
Labour’s new Planning and Infrastructure (PI) Bill will have devastating and long-lasting impacts on British wildlife. Protect the Wild explains why. The announcement of the PI Bill has been a wake-up call for many of Britain’s environmental defenders. The legislation, if passed, will allow developers to destroy natural habitats as long as they pay a […]
Protect the Wild supports new parliamentary petition on sports netting
Protect the Wild is supporting a parliamentary petition by a volunteer from the Fox Project calling for the government to require by law that all sports netting be tied up when not in use, to prevent it accidentally ensnaring wildlife and companion animals. We have often highlighted the number of animals who are seriously injured […]
Lyme Disease bacteria “2.5 times more common in ticks in pheasant-release areas”.
The bird shooting industry is responsible for a huge amount of harm. For example it sells vast numbers of birds to be shot dead, traps and kills native predators like foxes and stoats on a huge scale to ‘protect’ its birds, and it is almost entirely responsible for the scourge of raptor persecution. Now various […]
The Vesteys: a multi-millionaire hunting family
The Vesteys are a wealthy aristocratic family with an empire built on meat, controlling several brands supplying supermarkets and high street retailers. The family – who used to be the UK’s second richest – are ardent supporters of hunting with strong links to the Countryside Alliance. They can be expected to lead the pushback against […]
End Hunting Now
Contact your local MP – let’s end hunting for good. The Labour Government has pledged to end trail hunting and strengthen the Hunting Act. But despite this commitment, we still don’t know when the legislation will be brought before Parliament. Wildlife cannot afford to wait.Every week, hunts continue to kill foxes and other wild animals […]
Trail hunting: government reaffirms support for ban
On April 1st Perran Moon, the Labour MP for Cornwall’s Camborne and Redruth constituency, called on the government to ban so-called trail hunting and made a plea for jail time for hunters who are caught breaking the law. Currently, trail hunting – which supposedly involves hunts laying scent trails for hounds to follow, a scenario […]
Ghoulish pictures of the Thurlow Hunt’s ball
Ghoulish pictures have been circulating on social media about what the Thurlow Hunt (TH) got up to at their Hunt Ball. Smiling and dressed for a masquerade, guests are seen posing with a stuffed fox. In several images they are seen stroking the dead animal. In another photo, two ball attendees can be seen standing […]
GRAPHIC: Warwickshire Hunt whipper-in convicted under Hunting Act.
Benjamin Halsall of the Warwickshire Hunt has been convicted of hunting a wild mammal with dogs in breach of the Hunting Act 2004. ‘Whipper-in’ Halsall, from Shipton-on-Stour, was found guilty by a District Judge at Coventry Magistrates’ Court, after the court was shown footage of the Warwickshire Hunt’s hounds ripping up a fox on 9 […]
Two members of notorious BSV Hunt plead guilty to obstructing sabs
Charlie Mayo and Kieron Bashford of the notorious Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) Hunt plead guilty to willfully obstructing the highway on 3 March. Mayo is a rider for the BSV, the son of Anthony Mayo who is huntmaster. Bashford is a BSV supporter and occasional terrierman. The two BSV members had tried to block […]
Hen Harier Brood Meddling: “Illegal killing of Hen Harriers has continued.”
On the 14th March 2025 a blog on the Natural England (NE) website announced the ‘Conclusion of the Hen Harrier Brood Management Trial’. With a curious mix of exaggeration and understatement, John Holmes, NE’s Director, Strategy – Landscape, Peat and Species, wrote that “The experimental trial of hen harrier ‘brood management’ has ended, concluding that […]
Call to Action in support of wildlife defender assaulted by the hunt
Essex & Suffolk Hunt (ESH) supporter Tom Greig was filmed smashing hunt monitor Chantelle Leach’s phone and shoving her during the ESH’s meet in Little Bentley on 26 February. However, Chantelle told Protect the Wild that Greig’s assault continued after the film is cut. Police have been sent the video, but Chantelle says that their […]
Essex Police Petition
Urgent Action Required – Assault on a Hunt Monitor in Little Bentley 2573 people have taken action so far. Help us reach 100000 First name Last name Email Phone Subject Letter Dear Oliver Stovell PC, I am writing as a concerned member of the public regarding the recent decision by Essex Police regarding the assault […]
BSV point-to-point and the sponsors risking their reputations
The Blackmore & Sparkvale (BSV) Hunt has a reputation for animal cruelty, disregard for animal protection legislation, violence and general thuggery. But that didn’t stop a whole host of businesses from associating themselves with the BSV by sponsoring the hunt’s Point to Point (P2P) fundraiser in March 2025. Protect the Wild shines a spotlight on […]
CPS blunder: dismay as trial of Essex and Suffolk huntsmen collapses
The trial of whipper-in Jamie Price, huntsman Jack Henty and Hamish Golding of the Essex and Suffolk hunt collapsed on Tuesday 11 March at Ipswich Magistrates Court, after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer failed to disclose a document to the defence. Wildlife monitors were dismayed, as the three men evaded prosecution. Price, Henty and […]
Cury Hunt shows violent disregard for dogs
On 26 February, West Cornwall Hunt Saboteurs (WCHS) captured a video that shows once again the blatant disregard hunts have for their hounds. This time Holly Nicholls of the Cury Hunt can be seen striking a dog, while Martyn Toman is caught on camera inappropriately scruffing another hound. Check out this video from WCHS: […]
*GRAPHIC* Pregnant vixen torn apart by Holderness Hunt hounds
On the 4th of March 2025, a devastating incident occurred in East Yorkshire, as the Holderness Hunt hounds were witnessed tearing apart a pregnant vixen. The harrowing scene took place between Lessit and Kelk, in a field east of Gembling, within the East Riding of Yorkshire. Hull Wildlife Protectors (HWP), who were monitoring the second-to-last […]
BSV hunt filmed trying to wrestle spade from roadworks crew
In yet another example of England’s most notorious hunt causing havoc, a member of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) hunt was captured on camera trying to wrestle a spade from a council worker in early March. The incident occurred as the hunt ‘rampaged through roadworks’, as North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs (NDHS) explained. The BSV […]
Can trail hunting ‘evolve’?
A new hunting association was launched in July 2024 called “Forward with Hounds.” It recognises that a repeal of the Hunting Act is unlikely in the current political climate. Considering this, the association is promoting the ‘evolution’ of trail hunting to ensure that hunting has a future. But can trail hunting evolve? More to the […]
Veganic farmer makes clear Portman Hunt not welcome
Laurence Candy’s farm was certified to Biocyclic Vegan Standards in 2022. He’s already taken a principled stance against animal farming. Now he’s made clear that hunting is not welcome on his land either, and he has contacted the Portman Hunt to say so. Candy is the owner of Northwood Farm, which has gained publicity in […]
Animal Cruelty Charges: Ex-Essex & Suffolk Huntsman pleads guilty
Ex-Essex & Suffolk Huntsman Sam Staniland plead guilty to three animal cruelty charges under the Animal Welfare Act at Ipswich Magistrates Court on 26 February. He is due to be sentenced on 10 April at Norwich Crown Court. The judge said that “all sentencing options” would “be open”. Staniland pleaded guilty to acting unlawfully during […]
Tarras Valley, Hen Harriers, and the lies of the shooting industry
Last week yet another young Hen Harrier disappeared ‘in suspicious circumstances’ (the phrase used in official announcements which essentially means ‘we know what happened, but we can’t prove it’). ‘Red’ hatched in a nest on the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in 2024 and ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in County Durham in January 2025. Charlie […]
Beaufort Hunt greenwashing reputation with charity donation
The Beaufort Hunt (BH) are boasting on Facebook that they have donated £2500 to domestic abuse charity Society Without Abuse (SWA – formerly Swindon Women’s Aid). In response Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs have pointed out that members of the Beaufort have been “perpetrating acts of violence” against animals, female wildlife defenders and others for years. Could […]
FOI reveals hunting is being allowed in some of England’s ‘finest’ spaces for Nature
England’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are the “finest sites for wildlife and natural features” in the country, according to the public body responsible for their protection, Natural England. Nonetheless, a Freedom of Information request has revealed that hunting is being permitted in some of these precious Nature sites. Precious pockets of Nature England […]
The Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019
The Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 The Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 came into force on 01 December 2019. The legislation transposed the EU Invasive Alien Species (IAS) Regulation (1143/2014) (which came into force on 1 January 2015) which imposes strict restrictions on a list of species known as ‘species […]
Bird shooting ends on huge Scottish estate after takeover by conservation company
Bird killing in Britain is an incredibly normalised affair. This is evident in the fact that of all the issues Protect the Wild campaigns on, shooting appears to be the only one that the Labour government plans to do nothing about. Recently, however, blasting birds out of the sky became just that little bit less […]
Why are Church of England Reverends wishing hounds ‘fruitful’ days of hunting?
At the end of 2024, a Church of England Reverend was witnessed blessing hunting hounds in Devon. Some weeks before this, another clergyman was photographed welcoming hounds to his church in Dorset. Protect the Wild asks, why doesn’t the Church practise the compassion that it preaches? On 28 December, South Devon Hunt Saboteurs reported that […]
Cheshire Indies use drone donated by PTW Equipment Fund to surveil Cheshire Hunt
Protect the Wild runs an equipment fund to support wildlife protection groups to buy the tech needed to carry out their vital work. We always like to see how its being used. So we thought we would share this video showing Cheshire Independent Hunt Monitors (Cheshire Indies – or CIHM) using their ‘eye in the […]
Police ‘investigating’ more illegal hunting by Dorset’s notorious BSV hunt
Dorset Police Rural Crime Team responded to two separate reports of illegal hunting by the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BSV) hunt on 1 February. They say that “the evidence into these matters is now being collated and investigated.” Dorset Hunt Monitors posted the following video of the incidents on Facebook: The video shows a fox […]
South Shropshire terrierman fined for blocking a badger sett
David Conde, a terrierman for the South Shropshire Hunt (SSH), has been ordered to pay an £845 fine by Telford Magistrates Court, after admitting to unlawfully interfering with a badger sett. Conde was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £338 and costs of £85 Badgers have long faced threats and persecution in the […]
Search underway in Lincolnshire for missing rhea, who was spooked by a hunt pack
A search is underway for a missing rhea, who ran away on Saturday 1 February after a hunt group’s hounds rode close to the perimeter of the field where the rhea was being kept in East Kirkham, Lincolnshire. Andrew Collington posted that the Hunt seriously spooked the rheas, sheep and dogs that were in the […]
Fashion brand founder Johnnie Boden is a life patron of the Portman Hunt
Protect the Wild has been sent documents showing that businessman Johnnie Boden is a life patron of Dorset’s Portman Hunt. Two members of the Portman were convicted of ‘illegally hunting a fox with dogs’ in September 2024. The documents, produced by the Hunt, were provided to Two Counties Hunt Saboteurs – Somerset and Dorset (2CHS) […]
Blood on Their Land: Boughton Estate’s Role in Wildlife Crime Revealed
Pipewell Foot Beagles (PFB) were filmed setting their hounds on a hare on 25 January. Northamptonshire’s Boughton House and Estate says it has temporarily suspended PFB activity on its land after the shocking footage of the incident circulated on social media. However, local people are asking why it took so long, as they have been […]
North East Hunt Monitors are busy exposing the South Durham and Zetland Hunts
North East Hunt Monitors (NEHM) have released a damning new video, showing the Zetland and South Durham Hunts clearly chasing and trying to dig out foxes during their 18 January meet. Monitors from NEHM and Teeside Anti-Blood Sports (TABS) followed the hunts using drones, handheld cameras and vehicle dashcams. Protect the Wild are proud to […]
Revealed: Vets Fighting to Bring Back Hunting and Badger Gassing
A group of veterinarians have been banging the drum about badgers in recent years, blaming the wild animals for causing bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cows to an even greater extent than the government typically does. Indeed, they have criticised the country’s bTB policy for not focusing on badgers enough. This policy has seen hundreds of […]
Lake District hunts served with Community Protection Warnings
Cumbria Constabulary has sent Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) to two Cumbria hunts, after receiving complaints from the public. We asked Cumbria Constabulary about the contents of the CPWs. They told us that: The Community Protection Warning informed the [hunt] groups that we have received numerous reports regarding issues relating to them, including antisocial behaviour, noise […]
REVEALED: Police force releases long-hidden agreement with Warwickshire Hunt
Following months of pressure, Warwickshire Police has released the controversial protocol it entered into with the Warwickshire Hunt. So, what have we found out? Protect the Wild breaks it down. Warwickshire Hunt was given a Community Protection Notice (CPN) in 2022 over anti-social behaviour during hunting, namely “unreasonable and dangerous use of the roads”. CPNs […]
Hunt sabs hold historic meeting in parliament after 60 years of activism
Hunt saboteurs were welcomed into the House of Commons to meet with MPs on 9 January. This is the first time that the activists have attended parliament to talk with MPs in their over 60 years of sabbing hunts. Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan invited hunt saboteurs to meet with a cross-party group of MPs on […]
South Dorset Hunt: men stalk and harass lone woman
The South Dorset Hunt is known for its intimidation tactics to try to shake off hunt saboteurs. Its supporters reached a new low on 4 January when men harassed female sabs, and stalked one lone woman as she tried to get to her vehicle. The hunt spent the day chasing multiple foxes, with Weymouth Animal […]
The Eggesford Hunt begins 2025 with a killing spree
Devon’s Eggesford Hunt has begun 2025 in the most barbaric way, killing a fox and a deer at two separate meets. These murders should be a stark reminder to the government to prioritise its promise to ban hunting with dogs. Devon County Hunt Saboteurs reported the killing of the fox, which took place on 4 […]
Hunting hounds left freezing and stranded in local shop
A Northern Ireland hunt left a number of its hounds stranded in freezing cold temperatures at the weekend. The news comes just days before a public consultation on hunting with dogs closes. You can fill in the consultation survey here, even if you don’t live in Northern Ireland. The South Tyrone Foxhounds lost several hounds […]
Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt ends 2024 with four days of carnage
2024 came to an end with the country’s worst hunt causing untold suffering over a number of days. In this guest article, Dorset Hunt Monitors and North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs give an eyewitness report of the terrors they witnessed on the ground over this Christmas period. Even by the appalling standards of the Blackmore & […]